Chapter 1: Green Stick Training Class

  Zhang Qingyun is a proud and ambitious person, of course this is his own view, in other people's eyes, evaluating him as "overambitious but lacking ability" might be more fitting.

  He graduated from Sanliu Normal University, and at that time he was very arrogant. He gave up the opportunity to be a teacher in a key middle school and decided to "jump into the sea" (start his own business). With only 300 yuan in his pocket, he came alone to Zhongnan City.

  He said to people around him at that time, all of this is because of two words "dream".

  Zhongnan City is one of the earliest open cities in the Republic, this water is very deep. In the first few years after coming to Zhongnan, Zhang Qingyun got up earlier than a chicken, slept later than a dog, ate worse than a pig, and worked harder than a donkey, but still ended up with a broken head and bleeding every year, returning home empty-handed.

  When he finally realized that "dreams" were actually a pile of shit, his career took off. He eventually climbed to the position of investment director at a group company and basically became a working emperor.

  But all of this seemed like a joke from God, he hadn't even warmed up his seat as investment director when he fell ill, years of hard work and exhaustion had taken their toll on him, he had used up his life ahead of time, he was diagnosed with uremia.

  In this world, people's hearts are like wolves and their emotions are like dogs. When he needed help the most, his company abandoned him, resulting in him not having enough money for a kidney transplant even at the moment of his death.

  What? Where has the hospital's sense of morality gone? Forget it, some big shot once said that expecting a hospital to have a sense of morality is like expecting a male dog to give birth. Of course, a male dog is still just a male dog, and after much negotiation, it ultimately didn't give birth to any puppies. But our Zhang Qingyun couldn't wait any longer.

  Before he died, he had only two thoughts: "Firstly, if I had known my kidneys were going to fail, that son of a bitch would still pretend to be innocent. I should have gone through all the nightclubs in Central and South China, and visited all the brothels in the land of China. What regret..."

  Secondly, if there is an afterlife, what will I be? A teacher or a doctor? If I'm a teacher, then I'll be a gardener! Passing through the garden of flowers, I'll naturally have the fragrance of flowers.

  Being a doctor is called what? Angel! Collecting protection fees with God's will, it's not enough for me to fart!"

  But before he could even think of his second question, he was already gone, feeling his soul had fallen into endless emptiness...

  *

  "Can't men let Naihe Bridge pass?" This was the first thought that flashed through Zhang Qingyun's mind after he woke up again.

  He shifted his body and found that all parts were intact. He was first surprised, then delighted, and finally burst out laughing.

  "Qingyun, you finally woke up. You scared me to death." Zhang Qingyun suddenly heard someone calling her name and turned around to see a middle-aged woman with a kind face, wearing a simple yet elegant outfit, looking at her with a warm smile, appearing to be around fifty years old.

  Zhang Qingyun was taken aback, and suddenly felt that there was a lot more information in his mind. The woman in front of him seemed very familiar to him. Ah? This is my... mother?! What's going on? He looked bewildered.

  The old woman saw him dazed and didn't speak to him again, but poured him a cup of boiling water, took out a few pills, and instructed him to take them.

  After a long time, Zhang Qingyun finally felt that he had indeed changed. The illness was gone, but the person had changed. He had become a young man in his 20s.

  "Uh, that... Mom, what day is today!" Zhang Qingyun said weakly.

  "Today is already December 1st, you! Have been running a high fever for three days, and have been unconscious the whole time... You didn't even make it to the young cadre training class on time..."

  "Oh... no, I'm asking what year is it today?"

  "Ah?" The middle-aged woman was suddenly startled, looking at Zhang Qingyun with a surprised face. Zhang Qingyun suddenly felt that he had misspoken, and hastily stopped talking, changing the subject. Then she said that her body had not recovered yet and needed rest, and began to think deeply with her head bowed.

  For two consecutive days, Zhang Qingyun finally cleared his mind. He is now both happy and worried. Happy that he has been reborn and his name is still Zhang Qingyun. Worried that his current identity is neither a teacher nor a doctor, but just a small civil servant in a remote rural area.

  Now Zhang Qingyun is in the late 20th century, the grand military parade of the Republic has just ended, and he himself is also one of the earliest university students to become a civil servant. Since passing the civil service exam, he was sent down by the county government to Lizi Ping Township to serve as a general cadre, and it has been two years already.

  Liziping Township is the most remote mountain township in Yongping County, with a distance of over 100 kilometers from the county seat. Zhang Qingyun's parents are both elementary school teachers in Chengguan Town, and they have no background, so facing Zhang Qingyun's current situation, they can only love but cannot help.

  Originally, Zhang Qingyun's father, Zhang Deyan, had hoped that he could take advantage of this county's young cadre training opportunity to perform well and become a deputy township head or something. Who knew that before the training class started, Zhang Qingyun suddenly fell ill with a high fever, and this training class was missed again. His parents were worried and anxious, and his mother, Yin Su'e, had been nagging him in his ear for the past two days.

  Zhang Qingyun just smiled, he was far more mature than Lao Er in politics. Although it is usually a sign of promotion to be sent to the Youth Cadre Training Class, Zhang Qingyun knew that his chances of being promoted were not great.

  Due to the special situation this year, the Central State Council has held several meetings to discuss the issue of young cadres and made a series of important instructions on how to strengthen the training of young cadres. As for myself, I just hitched a ride on the trend, it's just the people below showing off.

  Emphasis on cultivating young cadres is the organization's emphasis on young cadres, but whether to promote them requires a comprehensive consideration. Zhang Qingyun has self-awareness and knows that he will definitely not be within the scope of comprehensive consideration.

  Although Zhang Qingyun did not hang his head in despair, the hardships and tribulations of his past life had shaped his tenacious personality. Moreover, having contracted a terminal illness and then being reborn had stimulated him to mature further. Politics is actually an extreme challenge to one's endurance, intelligence, and emotional quotient. The way of officials is profound; temporary gains and losses are difficult to explain any problem. As long as you are in this circle, there will be opportunities.

  He clearly knew that although he currently looked very down and out, his starting point was much higher than in his previous life. In any case, he was a civil servant, with this identity, he had the space to play.

  "Mom, I want to go to the party school this afternoon and see if there's still a chance to join the class for a while. This will also be beneficial for my future work." Zhang Qingyun said with a smile after lunch.

  "Green cloud, I think it's better to forget about it! Your dad inquired and heard that the promotion quota has already been fixed. Even if you go now and manage to get in, you won't get promoted. Isn't it a waste of time? It's better to take good care of your body instead. The conditions in the mountains are harsh!"

  "Mom, how can you say that? The organization arranged for young cadres to be trained, which shows that the organization attaches great importance to young cadres. I demand progress is a matter of course, and if there's no chance of promotion, then don't learn? This kind of thinking is unacceptable!" Zhang Qingyun said solemnly.

  "You little scoundrel, not even a sesame official, and you dare to argue with your mother! See how I'll teach you!" Yun Suyue scolded, as she picked up the broom and swung it at Zhang Qingyun.

  Zhang Qingyun burst out laughing and dodged his mother's blow, turning around and running out of the door.

  Yongping County's western suburbs have a small hill package, the locals call it Tiger Mountain, the whole mountain is full of orange trees, and the county party school is located here.

  Zhang Qingyun walked onto the main street of the county town, and upon touching his pocket, he found that he only had a few dozen yuan on him. He secretly smiled wryly to himself, but still spent 38 yuan buying a pack of Furongwang cigarettes - after all, when meeting with leaders, one couldn't look too shabby.

  He had spent all his money on cigarettes and the fare, and the Party School was a bit far away with no bus route. Zhang Qingyun had to choose to walk. Fortunately, the county town was small, and in less than half an hour, he arrived at his destination.

  "Hey, comrade! Who are you looking for?" Zhang Qingyun was stopped by the gatekeeper just as he was about to enter.

  "Oh, I'm Zhang Qingyun from the Qinggan training class. I've been sick for the past two days, so I came to explain the situation to Principal Li." Zhang Qingyun said with a smile, and skillfully handed over a cigarette.

  The brother took the cigarette, looked at Zhang Qingyun with a suspicious eye, and didn't know what to do for a while. Looking at Zhang Qingyun's outfit, it indeed had some youthful cadre style, so he didn't say anything and connected the internal phone call.

  "Hello, is this Principal Li? There's someone outside who claims..."

  "Come on, I'll talk to him." The guard had barely spoken half of it when Zhang Qingyun snatched the phone and said politely:

  "Hello, Principal Li, I am Zhang Qingyun from Lizi Ping Township. Due to illness, I was unable to attend the youth cadre training session the past two days. Today, I came specifically to meet with you."

  "Let me come in and give you a detailed report on the situation?"

  "Zhang Qingyun?" A puzzled voice came from the other end of the phone, and it was clear that Principal Li was a bit unfamiliar with this name. However, Zhang Qingyun's words were very proper, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse, after all, he was also from the Organization Department, and the young cadres below him required progress, taking the initiative to explain the situation, and having an attitude that was too bad would be criticized for suppressing the progress of others.

  "Alright then, tell Security Guard Little Wang that I want to see him in my office!" Principal Li said kindly.

  The head of the county party school is Li Yong, who also serves as deputy director of the organization department and is at the level of a section chief. He appears to be around 40 years old, looks very clean and neat, and has a bit of an academic temperament, it seems that the organization sent him to take up the post of party school principal with careful consideration.

  "Hehe, Little Zhang! Come on in, sit down!" Li Yong was very polite, and as soon as Zhang Qingyun entered the door, he stood up to greet her warmly.

  Zhang Qingyun nodded secretly, this Li Yong is not simple. Although he's almost 40 years old now, there should still be room for advancement. Just from the way he treats people and handles things, it can be seen that he has already deeply understood the ways of being an official. Young cadres are a sensitive topic nowadays, handling them poorly will lead to mistakes.

  "Principal Li, you're too kind! I came today to report the reason for my absence and also to make up for it. I want to catch up on my studies and strengthen them a bit more. What do you think?" Zhang Qingyun said.

  "Transfer classes?" Li Yong was taken aback. He clearly hadn't expected Zhang Qingyun to make such a request, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond in his heart.